path of the press.

Hankookilbo

01. Vision

Since inception in 1954, the moderate spirit followed by Hankook Ilbo as an observer of power, a spokesperson of public opinion and a balancer of society has been preserved intact by the management policy of Hankook Ilbo, ‘the spirit of the Confucian way of criticism, fair report and attitude of impartiality’. Pursuing the policy which is Hankook Ilbo’s enduring spirit, we will carry out our duty and role as a balancer of a fair society and an upright final judge by adopting a midway position, unswayed by any political party or ideology of the left or the right wing.

02. History of Hankook Ilbo Exclusives

A large number of huge exclusives have been reported by Hankook Ilbo as it produces numerous journalists who lead the Korean press, being referred to as the military academy of journalists.

Many cases were made public for the first time by Hankook Ilbo: ‘The miracle girl – survivor of the fire in Seoul Civic Center (2.12.1972)’; ‘Lee Dong Soo, the student at Seoul University, who burned himself to death (22.5.1986)’; ’Jeon Kyeong Hwan leaves the country abruptly (19.3.1988)’; ‘the Gate of Jin Seung Hyun with Kim Eun Sung in the center (26.11.2001)’; and ‘An incumbent judge gets 300,000 dollars from a king of private loans (8.4.2014)’ as well as ‘The murder case of a woman named Jeong In Sook (18.3.1970)’ that has been selected as one of the top all-time 100 exclusives in the Korean press.

The photo in an article titled “No More Tear Gas” (26.6.1987) was taken by the photo department of Hankook Ilbo at the June Democracy Movement in the same year. It was reported to the media all over the world through foreign press and selected as one of the “top 100 photographs of the 20th century” by AP.

Hankook Ilbo has also established a strong presence in the field of culture through stories such as ‘Damaged Seokgatap (7.9.1966)’, ‘the Royal Tomb of King Munmu Founded (16.5. 1967)’, ‘The golden crown in the ancient tomb, No.155, was excavated in Gyeongju (4.7.1973)’, etc., that were released in a row. Also, ‘the assassination of U.S. President Kennedy (23.11. 1963)’ and ‘The last dawn of Saigon (30.4.1975)’ were the exclusives made by the journalists of the International Department, working all night.

03. Business

Culture & Arts

Miss Korea Beauty Pageant

It is a beauty pageant to select the most beautiful woman in Korea with not only intellectual charm and refinement but also internal and external beauty. The 60th Miss Korea Contest will be held in 2016 as the first one took place in 1957. Thus, Hankook Ilbo plans to establish the contest as a traditional beauty festival with the nation’s highest authority by making a change to the contest concept and operational methods and enhancing objectivity and impartiality of the judges.

Miss Korea

The Hankook Ilbo Annual Spring Literary Contest

It is said that the Korean youth with a literary bent who want to become a novelist or a poet take on a feverish intensity when the season for submitting entries for the Hankook Ilbo annual literary contest approaches. This suggests that they are intensely eager to start their literary career through the Hankook Ilbo contest. The Hankook Ilbo award is established as a gateway to Korean literary circles, as it has been discovering outstanding rookies who would lead Korean literature’s domains such as poetry, fiction, drama, and children’s literature, through its approach of impartial criticism and a future-oriented open point of view for 60 years since its commencement in 1955.

The Hankook Ilbo Annual Spring Literary Contest

Korea Publishing Culture Prize

It is a publication award in the country with an old tradition and acknowledged authority since it was established by Hankook Ilbo in 1960. Hankook Ilbo has been building and developing the award in consultation with the intellectuals and publishers of the land for over half a century to promote publication culture. Especially, its authority and dignity has been improved by hosting the Relay Book Concert of award-winners and an exhibition together since 2015.

Korea Publishing Culture Prize

Palbong Critical Literature Prize

It was established to pay tribute to the literary achievement of Sir. Palbong Kim Ki Jin (1903~1985) who was a novelist and literary critic. Hankook Ilbo is the only Korean press that runs a literary criticism award. Every year, it honors the hard work and achievement of people, opening up a new world for literary criticism since established with donated fund by Sir. Kim Ki Jin’s bereaved family in 1989 and initially awarded to Sir. Kim Hyun in 1990.

Palbong Critical Literature Prize

The Hankook Ilbo Prize for Literature Prize

It was established in 1968 and became the award acknowledged by the highest authorities in terms of fairness and objectivity every year. It was started as the “Korean Creation Literature Award” initially and Han Mal Sook, a writer, was the first honorable winner. The faith the literary circles and intellectual society places on the award, and their assessment can be easily recognized, considering that it is regarded to the most coveted award by literary men.

The Hankook Ilbo Prize for Literature Prize

Korean Air Travel Photo Contest

It is a pure amateur photo art festival that receives and awards only the photography that covers joyful and amazing memories of travel. The contest hosted by the Korean Air and supported by Hankook Ilbo has become the nation’s best photo art festival.

Korean Air Travel Photo Contest

Fine art exhibitions

At the Hankook Ilbo, we have strived to popularize fine art by holding blockbuster exhibitions since the exhibition of Marc Chagall’s artworks in 2004. We have held exhibitions entitled<Matisse and the Fauves (2005)> <Picasso:The Great Century(2006)> <Van Gogh, Immortal Painter(2007)> <Renoir, Promise of Happiness(2009)> <Chagall:Magician of Color(2010)> <Van Gogh in Paris> <Voyage into the Myth, Gauguin (2012-2013)> In some cases, so many people paid visits to the exhibitions that it made the headlines on overseas media.

Fine art exhibitions

Sports & Leisure

Turtle Marathon

This event is the nation’s first walking campaign started from 1978 by Hankook Ilbo to improve public health. The marathon taking place every third or fourth Sunday morning of every month is designed for citizens and families to walk 7km on the beautiful Namsan beltway embroidered with flowers, verdure, maple and white snow depending on season.

Turtle Marathon

Bonghwang Cup match

It is a historic high school baseball championship fostering professional baseball players since the first championship in 1971. In particular, it is famous for unexpected game results and sudden emergence of celebrities as every high school baseball team in the country participates without passing regional preliminaries. It is such a great pleasure to experience a fierce amateurism and have a chance to predict a future baseball star who will sweep Korean professional baseball for several years.

Bonghwang Cup match

Wish for Unity Relay Marathon across the Country

The Busan ~ Seoul grand long-distance relay race with 60 years’ history hosted by Hankook Ilbo and the Korea Athletics Federation every year proceeds with a new name, ”The Korean Peninsula Unification Marathon: From Halla to Baekdu” to mark 2015, the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day. Above all, the starting point is changed from Busan to Jeju. The finishing point has been located inside the civilian access control line since 2013. But, the goal is to develop the race as a Korean Peninsula cross-country contest worthy of name by moving the point to Gaeseong Industrial Complex, even to Baedusan in Pyeongyang in consultation with North Korea.

Wish for Unity Relay Marathon across the Country

Cheorwon DMZ International Peace Marathon

It is a contest that up to ten thousand people from Korea and overseas participate in. Participants run along the course around the Civilian Access Control Line that bears the pain of national division. The marathon contest, departing from the Cheorwon Goseokjeong Pavillion, is divided into five parts: full, half, 10km, 5km and family walking. The participants can witness historical sites of Korean modern history such as Woljeongri Station, Labor Party Office, etc., and feel the agony of the times vividly while running along route No.3 in DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) after passing the civilian control line area located in the wide plain of Cheorwon.

Cheorwon Marathon

Myeonginjeon(Go Championship)

Myeonginjeon founded in 1967 is the go match that deserves to be called a driving force leading the Korean professional go match both in name and reality by being the only contest that opens the door to amateurs so that anyone can be a master. Its reputation and authority was brightened by the greatest go players in history who made it to the top such as Kim In, Seo Bong Su, Cho Hoon Hyun, Lee Chang Ho, Lee Se Dol and Park Young Hoon and the late Sir Cho Nam Cheo.

Myeonginjeon(Go Championship)

Public interest & Campaigns

Seoul Patriots & Veterans Prize

This award was established to raise Veterans’ self-respect and instill people’s patriotism by identifying and encouraging exemplary national meritorious men and their families contributing to the development of the nation and society. Hankook Ilbo and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs make efforts jointly to identify and honor unknown persons of merit working out of public view.

Seoul Patriots & Veterans Prize

Seoul Service Awards

It has been an award that encourages ten million Seoul citizens to be a model citizen and inspires their pride by selecting and awarding good citizens or groups who boost the sound ethos of civil society as the Award committee also provides devoted service for development of local communities since the ‘Seoul Metropolitan Citizen Award in Public Service’ was established in cooperation with Seoul in 1989.

Seoul Service Awards

College Entrance-related Explanatory Session

It is the nation’s only presentation for entrance examinations, delivering examination information to teachers who are in charge of educational guidance at front-line high schools as officers of major universities make a tour of the 9 regions in the country. The event that has been under way since 1998 is the place for university admissions officers and the experts to explain the details on each university through direct question and answer sessions with high school counselors.

College Entrance-related Explanatory Session

Korea Local Autonomy & Management Contest

Launched in 2004, this event is jointly held by The Hankook Ilbo and the Ministry of the interior. We present the awards(those awarded by seven government leaders including the President, the Prime Minister and five ministers) to a local government that has gone to great lengths to enhance local competitiveness and the quality of the lives of locals in nine sectors, i.e. the number of jobs, invigoration of business activities, the rise in income of its residents, cultural tourism, improvement of business environment, welfare service, environmental management, local development, and public design.

Korea Local Autonomy & Management Contest

Green Housing Award

Established in 2008, this annual award is presented to construction businesses that have distinctly contributed to home improvement from an environmentally-friendliness

Green Housing Award

Clean Leaders

In 2004, we at The Hankook Ilbo launched the Clean Leaders in commemoration of our 50th anniversary. we operate the Club of Clean Companies that strive to contribute to society by putting an end to corruption and disseminating transparent business management.

Clean Leaders

Forums

Korea Forum

At the forum, prestigious schools, political leaders, high-ranking officials, and those from civic organizations engage in a discussion to explore desirable future directions to be taken by the country through in-depth analysis of prevalent political, economic, social, and cultural issues. It aims to present new visions about the country’s future development through remedial steps taken against undesirable practices and social malaise.

Korea Forum

China Forum

This is a forum launched in 2012 in commemoration of the publication of the 20,000th issue of The Hankook Ilbo and the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relationships between South Korea and China. It remains as the country’s only international forum specializing in China. Participants in the forum discuss issues of common interest in diplomatic, political, military, trade, and cultural sectors involving Japan, India and ASEAN countries as well as South Korea and China.